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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · bulb · last · cold · chair · charge · leaves · hide

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. cold — not warm
  4. can — to be able to
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. charge — in control
  7. bulb — for light
  8. can — a tin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. charge — electricity
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. last — final
  19. last — finally
  20. chair — a leader
  21. charge — a price
  22. last — to go on
  23. cold — an illness
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com